IELTS GUIDE

by Bright Education

http://bright.edu.kz/
 IELTS Guide

● Listening:
There are 4 types of IELTS Listening questions:
1. Numbers/Letter Completion.
2. Sentence Completion
3. Map completion
4. Multiple Choice
You can take realistic practice tests from Cambridge Books.
! But, if you have few weeks left until your IELTS exam and you already have a fundamental
knowledge, you are allowed to take them and analyse every practice test.
But don’t waste them, if you a starter.
- To improve your Listening skills, you can try listening to podcasts:
https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts
Also, it is highly recommended to watch everything on Youtube in English.
After reaching a normal level, you can take practice tests from IELTS Online tests:
https://ieltsonlinetests.com/ielts-exam-library
The ones in IELTS Online Tests is a little harder than the realistic ones. However, by practicing
with them, realistic test would be easier for you.

● Reading
There are 7 types of Reading questions:
1. Matching Headings:
Here, you can do this type of question either first or last. It depends on you.
A step-by-step strategy:
1) Read the headings and highlight the keywords
2) Read the first paragraph
3) Come up with a topic for it
4) Read the headings and choose the most suitable one
5) Read other paragraphs and do the same thing
2. Matching Paragraph information:
This type of question may seem similar to Matching Headings, but the difference is that
 this type is asking for information, not for a heading.
It is advisable to do this question type last, and before skipping this question type, read
the questions and highlight some keywords, just in case you might see them in the text.
Then, move on to other types of questions. Because, by doing so, you can grasp the
general meaning of the text.
3. Multiple Choice:
Multiple Choice questions will give you the paragraph to read, and all you need to do is:
1) Read the questions and underline any keywords
2) Simplify the hard sentences
3) Read the paragraph and look for the most suitable one
4. Completion Tasks:
Completion questions are the easiest ones, because you just have to:
1) Read the questions and highlight any relevant keywords
2) Scan for the keywords and read the relevant parts carefully
That’s it!
5. Classification (matching authors, statements):
You are asked to match some phrases with their authors or the other ones. Typically,
you should:
1) Read the questions first
2) Highlight the authors or keywords
3) Scan for the highlighted words
4) After finding them, read those parts clearly
6. Yes/No/Not Given:
7. True/False/Not Given:
Here is a technique for doing YNNG/TFNG questions:
# Think of a fact, let’s say:
“Adrian is around 30 years old.”
The question says: 1. Adrian was born on 1th September of 1993.
Is it true or false or not given? Of course, true. It matches the fact.
# Now look at this: “Adrian is a Kazakh citizen” text says, and the question goes:
2. Adrian was born in Russia and now he is working as a financial manager in the U.S.
- This is false, even though the second part might be true in the text.
# Now look at this: “Adrian moved to Almaty because of his job.” text says, and the
question goes: 3. “Adrian had some toxic discussions with one of his colleagues in
Almaty.”
 After seeing these, you may read lots of parts in the text. But, if you didn’t find that,
just pick NOT GIVEN. The statement above is just not given.
So, this is the logical way of approaching these questions.

# How to improve Reading skills?

1. Read articles, books. Yeah, this may sound very trivial, yet it is still an effective habit
to improve reading comprehension.
2. Take practice tests from IOT:
https://ieltsonlinetests.com/ielts-exam-library
The ones in IELTS Online Tests is a little harder than the realistic ones. However, by
practicing with them, realistic test would be easier for you.
3. Analyze your work.

● Writing
Books for studying the baseline:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RFHUNYGbdWvBxmVIYX8gFMcCo_fuT3je/view

After finishing this book, try writing sample essays. You can check your work using Microsoft
AI (Copilot).

We recommend you to create an online document or leave an empty space in your

notebook for this thing:
1. Write all the question types of Task 1 and 2, beginning from the hardest ones to the easiest.
2. Write their structures and differences.
3. Put some band 8,9 samples as a prototype.
4. Finally, start writing sample essays.
You can find them here: https://www.ieltsjacky.com/ielts-writing.html

Most successful test takers start from Task 2. Here is a great technique for time-management:

1) First 10 minutes
Read the question and make sure you understand what it is asking you to do. Write a plan for
a 4-paragraph essay (introduction, 2 main paragraphs, conclusion) and spend most of the 10
minutes thinking of ideas for the 2 main paragraphs.
2) 5 minutes
Write your introduction: 2 sentences are enough.
3) 20 minutes
Spend 10 minutes on each of your main body paragraphs. These are the most important parts
of your essay, and the key to a high score.
4) Last 5 minutes
Write a quick conclusion, then check your work.

● Speaking
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GacpHKOtQ3k5ddU7e1BhV_e8ZkqHNnuU/view?usp=sharing
This is an effective book for studying the baseline in IELTS Speaking.

So, the most important criteria in the speaking section is fluency and coherence.

Fluency and coherence is not just only about speaking fast with seldom errors and
hesitations. But it also covers task achievement.

- It is responding to what is being asked and not going off-topic.

- You are ought to respond with clear explanations, and examples if necessary.
The official criteria says:
Band 9

Fluency and coherence

Speaks fluently with only rare repetition or self-correction; any hesitation is
content-related rather than to find words or grammar

Speaks coherently with fully appropriate cohesive features

Develops topics fully and appropriately

Make sure that this is your first main priority.

Secondly, in order to achieve a high score, your grammatical range & accuracy
and lexical resource must be good.
If you have enough time to learn the grammar topics unknown to you, here is a very good
book for learning grammar structures and practice them.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WCLELmS08rc5c0tiWGz81b7JictCGEwE/view?usp=sharing

Speaking of improving vocabulary, you have to read books, listen to something in English and
write down the unknown words.

! BUT DON’T JUST WRITE THE WORD AND ITS TRANSLATION !

 Learning Words

1. If you don’t know a word, search it on Google or use Cambridge Dictionary, Oxford
Dictionary, Longman Dictionary.

2. ! Don’t use Google Translate all the time !

3. Write their different meaning, more common ones.

For instance, the word “Lead” has numerous meanings: 1) to control a group of people;
2) a chemical substance (свинец); 3) to cause someone to do smth/to cause smth

4. To remember those words, write one sentence including each word that you wrote
down:

! Let’s say you don’t know the word “comprehensible”.

Okay, let’s follow the strategy:
- First, we check that word from Cambridge Dictionary.
- Second, it has only one meaning, luckily. So, we write that down. (comprehensible -
able to be understood)
- Third, before we write a sentence, we have to see its prepositions. So, it is used with
the preposition “to”.
- Last, in order to not forget that word later, we write one sentence using that word. If
you associate that with one memorable experience, it will be much easier.
● When I opened the first page of the exam paper, the mathematical terms were
all comprehensible to me.
5. Learn around 5-10 words a day, not too many.

PRONUNCIATION
So, the last thing for improving speaking is pronunciation. A very good technique for
improving pronunciation is shadowing. Here’s how you do it:
As you watch something in English, or listen to a podcast, you must follow the speech of a
native speaker and try to pronounce with a similar tone. So, that’s it.
Keep in mind that the most
important things are
Hard WORK, smart work,
and discipline.

https://t.me/nuet25